The defining memory I hold for the series was when I returned to Twilight Town in Kingdom Hearts 3. The world holds a very significant place in my heart to me and a friend of mine that I met by what now feels like a miracle.
Around the time of 1.5's release I was an avid Tumblr user and commented on another user's profile pic. That user and I got to talking about KH, really hit it off, and we became wonderful friends. What's wild about the encounter is how I, from the United States, became acquaintances with someone all the way from Libya. It blew my mind and still does!
We always loved talking about 358/2 days, twilight town, and any offshoot facets of the KH franchise involving either subject. It was a dream to reminisce about living there and interacting with the town and everyone in it. Climb the tall brick hills, appreciate the architecture, eat that delicious sea salt ice cream, sit at the clock tower, and watch the sunset; we wanted all of it.
Fast forward 7 years and we're still the best of friends. We had gone and done so much in that time. However, Kingdom Hearts 3 is where we found each other crossing roads again. It truly felt like we had waited our whole lives for it's release. We knew there would be some seriously heavy emotions going into this final saga, but we weren't ready for something seemingly trivial like we experienced.
When I got to Twilight Town in KH3, the borders of my heart and mind dissipated entirely. This place that was so dear to me and my friend was more real than it had ever been in that moment. Sunlight was peeking over the walls and through the brick structures, people in the streets were having fun and had joy in their hearts, the town's theme played as proudly as it had ever been conducted, and that clock tower still stood tall as it did the first day I saw it. I felt closer than ever to a friend that I never had the chance to meet in real life. It was a moment that I'll never forget.
Eventually I got to meet this friend on a long brick hill just like the one we dreamt about, and that, without a doubt in my mind, is what destiny must feel like.
